Athletic shoe with external counter and cushion assembly

Abstract

In an athletic shoe, an external counter and cushion assembly includes a substantially rigid external counter extending medially to approximately the front flex line, and a rearfoot cushion member is mounted within the rigid counter. This assembly mounts externally to the heel and counter region of a lasted upper. The floor of the cushion member also extends forwardly toward the front-flex region of the shoe and is preferably wedge-shaped to serve as a heel-lift layer. The cushion walls are generally coextensive with the counter walls, insulating the upper from the rigid counter in this region. The external counter construction includes a base flange which mounts atop the midsole periphery on a plane substantially below the bottom surface of the foot.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An athletic shoe comprising: an upper;   a midsole, including a low density central region and a higher density, substantially horseshoe-shaped perimeter around the middle and heel portions of the sole providing a frame around the central region and being interrupted in the lateral heel portion thereof by an indentation of the low density central region which extends therethrough to the periphery of the heel;   an outsole attached to the upper and the midsole, the outsole including a central longitudinal axis and defining a central aperture extending through the outsole from approximately the center of the heel region to a point just behind the front flex line of the foot and approximately centered along the central longitudinal axis such that the overlying midsole is visible through the aperture, the outsole further including peripheral cleats that elevate the main plane of the outsole above the plane of the ground surface.